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If you think he's going to wreck the Jeep he needs more driving experience before you put him out on the road with the rest of us. I have three adult sons and none of them have wrecked a vehicle. Yes, there is the possiblity that he could get hit through no fault of his own, but if you think he isn't a safe driver... Keep him off the road.
When I first started driving just about 6 years ago blind spots where probably my biggest problem. I remember cutting off a few people the first year. So if you think the blind spots are bad get him something else. Let him use the Escape and buy yourself a new car. Or buy him something like a VW Jetta or lots of other things out there. Buy something he will like (but not too much) and more importantly a car you feel comfortable with him in.
I knew someone would say that. I suppose if you put a stupid kid in a car and don't teach them about safety, how to take care of car of a car, how to handle it properly, etc., then yeah. He goes back and forth to school and work - that's about it and completely maintains the car 100% on his own. I'll take that sort of responsibility any day. We've had the car for 12 years - it's pretty reliable And he's done more to maintain it and fix it up (on his own dime) than we ever did.
And he's gone Jeeping before with a big group of Jeepers and his dad - trust me, he knows how to handle his car.
I know plenty of kids in safer cars who have gotten in accidents and worse because they were irresponsible. The car couldn't fix stupid.
Sure - if your kid is a safe driver that is great. But he/she doesn't have total control over their destiny on the road. The Jeep is terrible at accident avoidance. A sudden lane change could put the Jeep on its roof. The Jeep also has mediocre brakes, so stopping distance is long. Finally, it has poor side impact protection, so if someone hits them, their risk of injury is greater.
A great driver in an less safe vehicle carries some risk simply because the driver's skills are only part of the equation.
WOW! What a lucky kid! My kids won't be getting a car at 16! We will have to share! If someone gave them a car, I wouldn't be picky about it.
If it has blind spots, he needs to compensate for that. Look two or three times, he should be doing that anyway! It will make him a better driver in the end. Has to turn the lights on & off manually? Didn't we all when we started driving? Believe me, if it's dark and he can't see he will figure it out!
I have no problem with a young driver driving an 11 year old car or truck or Jeep - If they are a good driver! My husband drove around in $100 POS cars for years and years when he started driving. He had to learn to fix them himself if they broke (which they did). Guess what? He's great working on cars now.
I say be thankful for the gift and let your son make due with his (almost) new car. He's really lucky to have such a nice GF!
Sure - if your kid is a safe driver that is great. But he/she doesn't have total control over their destiny on the road. The Jeep is terrible at accident avoidance. A sudden lane change could put the Jeep on its roof. The Jeep also has mediocre brakes, so stopping distance is long. Finally, it has poor side impact protection, so if someone hits them, their risk of injury is greater.
A great driver in an less safe vehicle carries some risk simply because the driver's skills are only part of the equation.
There are TONS of Jeeps on the road today. My Dad drives one. What a fun car for a kid to have. He's shown he can handle it. Mom & Dad are ok with it. If you don't put your kid in one that is up to you!
First thing I would say is that a Compass is not a Jeep...it's a soft little crossover, lol. FWIW, it is based on the same platform that underpins the Mitsubishi Lancer/Outlander and the Dodge Caliber. Plain and simple, Compass' have HORRENDOUS reliability ratings and are pretty much one of the worst choices you could make in terms of a reliable little crossover.
Further since it is a 2008, you are now most likely out of the bumper-to-bumper warranty period and since your father transferred it to you/your son you also no longer have any powertrain warranty. The 2008's were part of the "lifetime" powertrain warranty years at Chrysler. Unfortunately that only applied to the original registered owner of the car. Once it is sold/transferred, the car defaults to ONLY the 3/36k bumper-to-bumper coverage.
So, to break it down, you own one of the most unreliable cars on the road. You also most likely have ZERO warranty coverage on it. Personally, I would dump it ASAP and never look back. If you frame it this way as a pure business transaction, grandpa may even agree with you.
As for what to get, the Compass is probably worth around $10k-$12k depending on mileage and options, that can buy you a lot of decent used teenager mobiles, especially if you stick with the ubiquitous Civic, Corolla, etc.
However, in your case I would give him your Escape and use the Compass as a nice hefty trade in/down payment on a new Escape or Edge, or whatever else tickles your fancy. Son gets a nice car he loves, you get something new at a huge discount and everyone wins.
An 11 year old small pickup is a horrible choice for a teenage driver. Very high risk of rollover, they usually have outdated safety equipment, and some don't even have ABS.
I suppose my son is one of the lucky ones... ABS and airbags are standard in his truck. I drove this truck for five years before he got it. Never once did I feel a quiver of rolling over. What do I like best about it? It is metal. All the way around. If I could have convinced him, I'd have put him in a land yacht... you know a 1976 pontiac parisianne. But, alas, that was not in the cards (do you know how hard it is to find a metal car?).
My kids were all very careful with their cars, no one got in a wreck...except for Mr. ADHD, but I expected that one. They all used the same beater car until it died, a Subaru Outback...
Since it was a gift from grandfather, selling it because it wasn't good enough for a teen would be a pretty crappy thing to do.
Anyway, not all kids are accident prone and reckless. I had the best maintained car in our many car family, even though it was always a hand me down. I always got nice European cars but they weren't always that well maintained because my family often waits until things need a pound of cure rather than an ounce of prevention a year prior. I never beat up on my car the way you see people doing, even though I never paid a penny to buy or maintain it, but then again, I was always very mature for my age even when I was much you nger.
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I knew someone would say that. I suppose if you put a stupid kid in a car and don't teach them about safety, how to take care of car of a car, how to handle it properly, etc., then yeah. He goes back and forth to school and work - that's about it and completely maintains the car 100% on his own. I'll take that sort of responsibility any day. We've had the car for 12 years - it's pretty reliable 
And he's done more to maintain it and fix it up (on his own dime) than we ever did.
